Heres her story, as told to associate health conditions director Julia Sullivan.
Soccer has been my life since before I can remember.
Even in those early years, however, I struggled with one aspect of the game: endurance.
US Soccer
I recall getting exhausted on the field really quickly.
Id put my hands over my head and ask to be taken off the field sooner than other players.
That worried my mom, so when I was six she took me to the doctor.
Everything checked out just fine, even my heart.
But back on the field, it was still hard to breathe.
The doctors figured I probably hadasthma, so they gave me an inhaler and sent me on my way.
In my teen years, the intensity of the game increased.
I remember a particularly difficult drill one practice.
It was clear I was struggling, and my mom was yelling at me from the sidelines to stop.
But I was so determined to push myselfand keep up with my teammatesthat Iended up blacking out.
This patternpushing through my pain and breathlessness on the fieldcontinued through college.
When I started grad school at Boston University, the pace of my life changed.
I wasnt playing soccer anymore, and I was generally less active.
But in the middle of my first year, over a two-week period, I started getting strange headaches.
I was also inexplicably tired.
I remember calling my mom and nearly falling asleep with her on the phone.
I also had intensebrain fog.
My schoolwork was tough, yes, but this seemed like so much more than a challenging workload.
I vaguely remember being confused, and somewhat coherent, but not able to open my eyes or move.
She asked my partner totake me to the ER.
I didan atrial septal defect, or ASD, which I was born with.
After I got out of the hospital, my life had completely changed.
Id stutter and have trouble keeping up in conversations.
It really affected my social life.
My mood also flipped.
It was hard on my family.
I was suddenly no longer the person theyd known their whole lives.
We were all scared and confused.
It took me about a year, but I started to feel somewhat close to normal again.
However, I had no concept of recovery while that was happening.
I could only focus on making it to the next day.
I still have lingering effects from the stroke.
Sometimes I forget what Im talking aboutalthough thankfully, those instances are few and far between.
No one usually notices!
On the field, my balance isnt great.
My left side is less coordinated, which makes me more injury-prone.
I remember the first run I went on post-surgery.
